Nicolas Asfouri—AFP
Three aftershocks, all over 5-magnitude, also strike Nepal within minutes of initial quake.
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit devastated Nepal on Tuesday, sending terrified residents running into the streets in the capital Kathmandu, according to witnesses and the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake struck at 12:35 p.m. local time in the Himalayan nation some 76 kilometers east of Kathmandu, more than two weeks after a 7.8-magnitude quake, which killed more than 8,000 people.
The latest quake hit at a depth of 15 kilometers, according to the USGS. It had earlier measured the quake at 7.4. The tremors in Kathmandu lasted close to a minute according to an AFP correspondent in the city, with the ground swaying. Sirens could be heard soon afterwards although there were no immediate reports of casualties.
The quake was also felt some 1,000 kilometers away in the Indian capital New Delhi where buildings shook and office workers evacuated. Other cities in northern India and northern Pakistan were also rocked by the quake, including Bihar where television footage showed residents gathering on the streets.
Another 5.6-magnitude aftershock hit minutes later in Nepal, according to the USGS. A third and fourth aftershock also hit Nepal a few minutes later, clocking in at 5.5 and 6-magnitude, respectively.
Whole villages were destroyed in the April 25 quake while large parts of Kathmandu were destroyed, leaving tens of thousands homeless. Relief teams from around the world are still working to provide water, food and medical assistance to Nepalis following the quake.
While nearly all of those killed by the April 25 quake were in Nepal, around 100 victims also died in India and China.